Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are commonly used in electrical devices to support and connect electrical components such as integrated circuit chips, capacitors, resistors, and other electrical components. PCBs typically include an insulative material (e.g., glass fiber epoxy laminate) with conducting strips formed within or on the surface of (e.g., by etching) the insulative material. The conducting strips are patterned such that they interconnect various points on the PCB.
At each interconnected point, through holes are punched or drilled in the insulative material of the PCB. The inner surface of each hole is coated with a conductive material (i.e., plating) which is electrically connected to the conducting strip at the interconnected point. Electrical components are positioned in the through holes and an electrical connection between the through hole and the component is established, for example, by soldering the components within the through holes.
It is often desirable to have the ability to insert and remove electrical components from the through holes without the need to repeatedly solder and de-solder the through hole. For this reason, press-fit terminals are designed to be pressed into a through hole, thus fixing the terminal in the through hole and establishing an electrical connection with the conductive coating of the through hole using a compressive fit. The terminal can then used for repeated connections and disconnections of electrical components.
In some examples, the terminals include conductive barbs that press against the plating that coats the inner surface of the through hole when the terminal is pressed into the through hole. In this way, an electrical connection between the terminal and the plating is established.